| Author | Message | ||
     Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 1015 Registered: 05-2003 |
What kind of HANDHELD CBs/Radios/Scanners do you use on the trail? We've been in a few dead zones where we've lost cellular service. This is a pita (to say the least) when we need to be assisting someone outside our trucks and also guiding someone else in to our location (doing both at the same time). What do you use? What is the potential range of frequencies (to receive and/OR transmit) on your HANDHELD radio? What licences are you required to have when using yours? What kind of range do you get in less than ideal circumstances? Thanks in advance, Jamie | ||
| Paul D. Morgan (V22guy) Dweb Lounge Member Username: V22guy Post Number: 2538 Registered: 02-2002 |
CB is a Cobra handheld 75WXT; range roughly 3-5 miles. My experience. FRS is Motorola with the hands free stuff; range 1-2 miles. My experience. I keep both types in the Pig because you never know what others will have. Range is limited with both and licenses are not required as long as your follow these products guidelines. If you want long range, there are some folks on this board that have some fancy gear that requires licenses. | ||
| Curtis N (Curtis) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Curtis Post Number: 1195 Registered: 05-2002 |
I use CB, FRS, and 80cm/2M HAM. The HAM requires a license, but it puts me in touch with at least someone almost anywhere I go. Curtis | ||
| Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d) Senior Member Username: Deanbrown3d Post Number: 1509 Registered: 02-2002 |
The Cobra handhelds we've used in the barrens all suck. They are only just bearable with an external antenna. If you're doing any kind of long trails and want to be part of the group then do yourself and everyone else a favor and get a proper CB. Otherwise you and anyone else who has a different setup will be a PITA. | ||
| Jack Quinlan (Jsq) Senior Member Username: Jsq Post Number: 594 Registered: 10-2002 |
HAM. A good handheld is the Yaesu VX-5R. Runs about 300 bucks or less. A lot of the HAM radios can be modified to broadcast on frequencies which do not require the basic operators license e.g. 145-160 2meter. However, it is generally illegal to broadcast on a modified radio so it cuts both ways. I wish everybody used HAM though. Not only do the radios perform better but the technology and equipment is so far ahead of CBs. You can buy a really nice HAM radio and you get a lot more for your money. Also, a lot of the HAM radios operate on multible bands including the FRS frequencies, so you can communicate with talkabouts and the like. try http://www.hamradio.com/ and http://www.aesham.com/ those are two great suppliers with good products. Yaesu is a really good brand. Kenwood is also nice. I'm not a huge fan of ICOM, but some people like them. | ||
| Randy Maynard (Rans) Senior Member Username: Rans Post Number: 774 Registered: 08-2002 |
I've been thinking about getting a Cobra 75WXST, and I've been searching for the best price...they all seem close, between $95 and $105. So is there a Dweb worthy vendor selling them to anyone's knowledge? I'd rather throw the $$ st someone from here. | ||
| Donald (Dsmcf) Member Username: Dsmcf Post Number: 123 Registered: 11-2003 |
I run FT-2800M VHF and FT-8900 VHF/UHF and Cobra CB in my truck. All work reasonably well, although I get some problems with RFI especially from the FT8900 causing the stereo to reboot, turn itself on, etc. etc. Haven't noticed any EMC anomalies from any of the ECUs yet, but then again not sure whether I would notice them necessarily... | ||
| Peter Carey (Peterca) Member Username: Peterca Post Number: 77 Registered: 10-2003 |
I have a Cobra handheld and it pretty much sucks. I know a truck absorbs the frequency if you use a handheld inside, but a truck just 100' behind me on the road couldn't hear me. It's not a ton better outside the truck. The 75WXST doesn't qualify as a handheld the way Jamie asks as it can't be used outside the truck. I've got one too and like it, especially the discretion with which it connects to the base station. I've never been one to have a huge CB deck just sitting on the dash. Having a haldheld is a good idea but I'd never trust it to have much range to save my life. If you want to have something to rely on to communicate, I'd take Curtis' suggestion and get a HAM license. More involved, but you can get more out of it. pwc | ||
| Paul D. Morgan (V22guy) Dweb Lounge Member Username: V22guy Post Number: 2539 Registered: 02-2002 |
Hey Randy, Any Sporting place like Cabela's should have them. Bought my cobra while in Philly at some 4x4 shop. The only problem I have had with the Cobra is that fact that others didn't have CB. Hence now I carry both. | ||
| R. B. Bailey (Rover50987) Senior Member Username: Rover50987 Post Number: 763 Registered: 07-2002 |
For non-CB type use (something that I don't have to install) I have the Motorola Talkabout T5710 (Don't get the other Talkabouts) I wanted these but hadn't bothered to get them till I found out that my brother, as a platoon leader in the Iraqi Rapid Response Unit, is using them. They even got their's at Costco. They have a 5 mile range in most outdoor circumstances, and are fully digital with some secure broadcast features. They also have good voice activation features when used with the kevlar mounted systems, monitoring, calling, and menu features are all good and easy to use while having buttons that are near impossible to push mistakenly. The batteries last forever too. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 1016 Registered: 05-2003 |
Thanks for all the suggestions, they sound like promising leads  I've got the Cobra CB, Garmin FMRS/GMRS, and cellular. Even so, there are times that none of them work. It looks like I need to start learning about HAM radios as soon as things slow down. As soon as I have time, I'll check them out. Curtis & Jack, I'm curious about the transmit and receive MHz range on your ham radios. It would be nice to find something with a big MHz range. I'm assuming you can tune your hams to CB frequencies (26.065-27.405 MHz). Legal issues aside, and also assuming one obtains all necessary FCC licenses, what is your ceiling frequency? Are you able to tune into frequencies as high as 108 MHz? Thanks again, Jamie p.s. Randy, www.valcoelectronics.com has excellent prices and great customer service. I was looking at the Cobra handheld on their site last weekend. Their price on the COBRA handheld (HH38WXSTRT) was $79.90 including magnetic mount antenna and DC power cord. They also carry the COBRA 75WXST - I purchased mine from them. | ||
| Jack Quinlan (Jsq) Senior Member Username: Jsq Post Number: 598 Registered: 10-2002 |
jaime, nope, can't tune HAM to the CB frequencies. i don't know of any radios which operate on both sets. it's one or the other and your required to give the other group a hard time. | ||
| Curtis N (Curtis) Dweb Lounge Member Username: Curtis Post Number: 1198 Registered: 05-2002 |
With some slight modifications, ICOM's MK series radios can be tuned to almost any frequency, including CB. As Jack mentioned before, this treads some tricky legal ground. Primarily it boosts your output signal to more than 10X the legal CB limit. My suggestion is to use CB, FRS, HAM, & your trusty phone. Between them all you should be well covered. /Curtis | ||
| Joey (Joey4420) Senior Member Username: Joey4420 Post Number: 591 Registered: 04-2003 |
Jamie, I am not sure what kind of Cell service or Cell phone you are using, but unless you are really getting out into the middle of nowhere with mountains all around. Oh wait, that is West Virginia in a nut shell... I use a cellular booster for my cell phone and get extremely good coverage. It was not cheap, but it works well. http://jdteck.com/index.htm | ||
| Pugsly (Pugsly) Senior Member Username: Pugsly Post Number: 321 Registered: 11-2002 |
I've been in a lot of places (out West) where there was no cell phone coverage, but I was able to talk with someone by bouncing a repeater. My ham radio has saved me a very long and cold (early January, at least 20 miles) walk at least once. Everyone knows that you shouldn't wheel alone, but if you do a good ham setup can be very, very useful. A good 2m rig can save your butt when you have no signal on the CB, FRS, or cell! | ||
| Donald (Dsmcf) Member Username: Dsmcf Post Number: 124 Registered: 11-2003 |
Oh yeah, I have a Garmin Rhino 120 portable and another Motorola VHF portable also. But that's not my reason for posting again. This, on the other hand, is... Why is everyone bashing on CB versus "ham"??? Granted, there are a lot of really bad CB radio designs out there. But in terms of frequency, modulation type and power, it ain't so bad... just get a decent antenna and a matched transmission line and tune it and it should work fine. Granted it is nowhere near as convenient as 2M F3E, but then to use that on a trail you would be inviting the other non-hams with you to work unlicensed. Just my 2 cents. G7OFJ | ||
| Alan Yim (Alan) Senior Member Username: Alan Post Number: 1104 Registered: 09-2002 |
Donald, How do you like your Rino? I was thinking of getting one of those along wtih a CB. | ||
| Andrew Lenz (Alenz) New Member Username: Alenz Post Number: 20 Registered: 09-2003 |
I bought the Kenwood TH-F6 tri-band. it is great. but a little expensive. (www.hamradio.com) What ever you get throw out the stock antenna and buy a Diamond antenna. test is real easy. just take the practice test over and over. the real test uses the EXACT same questions. http://www.qrz.com/testing.html | ||
| Donald (Dsmcf) Member Username: Dsmcf Post Number: 133 Registered: 11-2003 |
Alan, The Rhino is a thing of beauty. My previous GPS was (is) a Garmin GPS75, which I purchased the same year it came out, IIRC circa 1993. So admittedly just about anything would have been an improvement. However, I find that its speed of acquisition and ability to track multiple birds is excellent, and in particular I have had a lot of success maintaining and reacquiring a signal even when the antenna has been poorly orientated, behind a heated windscreen, in the middle of a wooded trail in the Pinies. Previously I had never expected GPS to work in woodland unless you climbed (or felled) a tree. As for the ability to transmit (and poll for) position, it has worked out pretty damn well for my intended porpoise -- hunting with a buddy. And the serial port works as expected... |
